STEWART
Science-Based Environmentally Friendly Layout for Floating PV¶
Project Overview STEWART (Science-based environmenTally friEndly neW lAyout foR floaTing PV) is a transnational research initiative supported by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program within the framework of the Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETPartnership). The project aims to establish under which conditions current floating photovoltaic (FPV) designs are environmentally sustainable and to develop innovative, eco-friendly layouts that minimize ecological impact while maintaining cost-competitiveness.
Project Status: Ongoing (50% Completed)
Timeline: 36 Months (Launched in December 2024)
Funding: Nationally supported by TÜBİTAK in Türkiye.
Core Objectives:
To establish a standardized protocol for monitoring the environmental and ecological impacts of FPV systems in diverse climates.
To propose scientifically sound, environmentally friendly new concepts for both inland and near-shore FPV technologies.
To reduce the environmental footprint (e.g., land use, biodiversity, and aquatic life) while improving the multiple use of occupied water surfaces.
To underpin the dialogue with regulatory authorities for advanced and harmonized legislative frameworks.
Project Consortium The project is led by Fraunhofer ISE (Germany) and brings together a multidisciplinary group of experts:
Academic Partners: Ege University (Türkiye), Middle East Technical University (METU, Türkiye), Sapienza University of Rome (Italy).
Industrial & Technical Partners: INNOSEA (France), HelioRec (France), BayWa r.e. (Germany), and Tonucci & Partners (Italy).
Expected Impacts
Design Guidelines: Development of a holistic “Guideline for Environmentally Friendly FPV Design”.
Performance Optimization: Improving system performance by approximately 2% through advanced cooling effects and mechanical stress reduction.
Regulatory Support: Creating a one-stop repository of laws and rules to facilitate the scaling of FPV projects across Europe and beyond.